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Lichen sclerosus is a rare, chronic cutaneous disorder with a predilection for the genital area. Any age group may be affected, although it is seen more often in postmenopausal women. The current gold standard treatment is topical ultrapotent corticosteroids such as clobetasol.

Here we compare UVA1 phototherapy with 0,05% clobetasol propionate in vaseline for the treatment of vulvar lichen sclerosus.

Clobetasol propionate (0.05%) in white vaseline is applied thinly once daily. The duration of treatment is 3 months.

Experimental: UVA1 phototherapy

Other: UVA1 phototherapy

The UVA1-phototherapy is conducted 4 times per week over a period of 3 months. A UVA1-irradiation device of the company Sellamed, Gevelsberg (Germany) is used. The radiation intensity is 24 mW/cm ². The distance between radiation source and irradiation area is approximately 25 cm. Over five sessions, the UVA1 dose is increased slowly, starting with 10 J/cm ² in the first, 20 J/cm ² in the second and 30 J/cm ² in the third, 40 J/cm ² in the fourth, and from the fifth session 50 J/cm ². Additionally, a topical treatment with vaseline album once daily can be applied after irradiation (not before irradiation).

Detailed Description:

Genital lichen sclerosus is a rare chronic inflammatory connective tissue disease. The association with other autoimmune diseases and the detection of autoantibodies against ECM-1 point to an autoimmune genesis. Genital lichen sclerosus typically affects women around and after the menopause. Common sites of affection are the vulva (clitoris and labia majora) and the anus in women, the prepuce and the glans penis in men. Skin lesions include ivory-white, atrophic, porcelain-like plaques with a tendency to atrophy and fissures in the advanced stages.

First-line therapy for genital lichen sclerosus in the active, inflammatory phase is the use of topical glucocorticoids. Alternatively, topically applied hormone-containing emollients and topical calcineurin inhibitors are widely used. However, the use of topical corticosteroids is because of the associated long-term side effects (atrophy, striae) limited.

In the treatment of localized scleroderma (morphea), a similar sclerosing disease, the use of ultraviolet radiation (UVA1) has proved highly effective. After a pilot study, the high-dose UVA1 phototherapy (120 J / cm ²) was significantly more effective was a low-dose UVA1 (20 J / cm ²), however no difference could be found in subsequent studies. Meanwhile, the medium-dose UVA1 phototherapy in circumscribed scleroderma has been determined as the most effective therapy regime and is included in the german dermatological guidelines (see also AWMF guideline for diagnosis and therapy of circumscribed scleroderma at: http://www.uni-duesseldorf.de/awmf/ll/013- 066.htm).

Eligibility

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application of UV radiation therapies outside of the study conducted by UV irradiation: as: PUVA, UVA (including UVA1), UVB (including SEA) in the last 4 weeks before study entry or during the study period

Contacts and Locations

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Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01400022